The Van Cauwelaert family of brass wind instrument makers flourished in Brussels from 1846 to about 1955, although
the exact relationship among the several generations is not known.
Ferdinand-Joseph Van Cauwelaert (1808-1884) established his brass instrument
workshop in Brussells 1846.

Ferdinand Van Cauwelaert

Maison Van Cauwelaert, ca. 1900 (click to enlarge)

The Van Cauwelaert horns were certainly the most popular choice among Belgian horn players for over seventy-five years,
during the second half of the nineteenth century into the 1930s. This is the "Gantois" model, so called
by Edmond Leloir, because of
its popularity among players in Ghent. It requires a terminal crook which distinguishes it from the fixed leadpipe
model used in Liège.
The horn has several expert repair patches and the valves are well
worn, probably indicating that its owner used it extensively
and regarded it worth continued maintenance.
The original gussett bell flare has been replaced by
a spun flare(see below). The original set of crooks has been lost; the F terminal
crook shown above right is a reproduction by
Richard Seraphinoff. The valve slides can probably be used
with crooks pitched from at least D to A. The three Périnet piston valves are sprung from the bottom.
The valve tops ("buttons") are also restoration replacements by Richard Seraphinoff. This horn plays beautifully
and has a very light sweet tone, characteristic of the small-bore french
design.

The original label is on the the bell tail. Early labels were engraved in script. Typeset labels were introduced
in the late 1880s by the "frères and soeurs" after the death of their father, Ferdinand.
The original gussett bell flare has been replaced by
a spun flare which is crudely engraved "Mathieux Alargale", possibly either the name of the repair person
a previous owner of the horn.

The dapper anonymous player shown above is apparently
very proud of mastering a difficult etude on his Van Cauwelaert Gantois horn. This model was also popular
in military bands (see right).

Image courtesy of Pierre Dubar (click to enlarge>

Acknowledgments

Special thanks to Jeroen Billiet for his excellent dissertation 200 Years of Belgian Horn School? and to
Pierre Dubar for sharing the above image from his collection.

References

Billiet, Jeroen. 200 Years of Belgian Horn School?, a Comprehensive Study of the Horn in Belgium, 1789-1960,
a Dissertation for the Approval of a Laureate Program at the Orpheus Institute, Ghent, Belgium, 2008,
See: WWW.CORECOLE.BE